In the first Western Conference game of the Play-in tournament, the Minnesota Timberwolves will take on the LA Clippers. The game will take place on 13 April at 4:30 AM UTC(+3 UTC). The winner of this match will take on the winner of the game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs. Can the high-scoring Timberwolves down the Paul George-led team?
Bet on Minnesota Timberwolves - LA Clippers
Best bets on Timberwolves vs Clippers
Total 1: Bookmakers related to 1xBet sugget that the total of over/under 230.5 has an equal odds of 1.90. This is not in line with how many Timberwolves games have gone recently, where the points range has been 240+. Timberwolves was one of the leading scorers this season while the Clippers also looked good in touch since the return of Paul George. However, the decrease in total here is due to the Playoffs intensity but I still lean on going “Over” the 230.5 mark.
Player Props: D’Angelo Russell: Bookmakers at Bet365 have set the odds of 1.86 for D’Angelo Russell going Over 17.5 Points. Of course, this is around the average mark that Russell has hit 17, 22, 24 points in the last three games and here I think he can pincer around 18 points at least.
Handicap: Bookmakers at 22Bet favor the Minnesota Timberwolves to win this game and they are placing equal identical odds of 1.90 towards the handicap of 3.0. It implies that they see a close game here and this is understandable since the Clippers have done a great job due to the return of Paul George. I’d still favor the Timberwolves to win here with a handicap of -4.5 which has the odds of 2.09.
Where to Watch Timberwolves vs Clippers
This game is available on the NBA League Pass.
Bet on Minnesota Timberwolves - LA Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves set up their offense quickly and they were among the fastest pace teams. It is their ability to put up a bunch of shots and athletic wing Anthony Edwards has helped the case with his driving skills. Meanwhile, as a Center, Anthony-Towns can run the floor as well as any big and he also has beautiful dribbling skills. D’Angelo can pop shots quickly in the shot-clock while Beasley can do the same. Thanks to Patrick Beverley at the Guard position, the Timberwolves' defense took the next step and this can help out the team in the Postseason. The Wolves will have to tackle Paul George who can be a menace in the passing lanes, which can dent the run-and-gun game of Minnesota. Still, at home, they will be favored to close it out with their elite three-point shooting.
LA Clippers
The Clippers are boosted again with the return of Paul George and with Norman Powell also returning, they can’t be taken lightly so the bookmakers are not giving an overwhelming handicap in favor of the Timberwolves. George is a stellar defender and he also has a lot of moves on the offensive end. The Clippers look much more deep with the return of the two players. Ivica Zubac will play a huge role in the middle and he will have to contend against the superb Center Karl Anthony-Towns. Reggie Jackson took his game to another level during the last Postseason and he will be needed to up his game here. The Clippers can give the Timberwolves some hiccups here.
Timberwolves vs Clippers: possible lineups
- Timberwolves most likely starting five: PG: D’Angelo Russell | PG: Patrick Beverley | SF: Anthony Edwards | PF: Jarred Vanderbilt | C: Karl Anthony-Towns;
- Clippers most likely starting five: PG: Reggie Jackson | SG: Paul George | SF: Marcus Morris | PF: Nicolas Batum | C: Ivica Zubac.
